Various types of "carry-out" containers are known for transporting food products from a grocery store or restaurant to the location where the food is to be consumed. These types of containers typically include a lower plate which holds a food product, with a removable cover releasably attached to the plate. Some of these containers are also provided with separate compartments to segregate food items during storage and transport. Typically, the cover is divided into a plurality of compartments which correspond to a plurality of compartments formed in the plate. However, one problem with compartmentalized containers is the difficulty in aligning the compartments of the cover and the plate. This difficulty is especially apparent in "fast-food" type restaurants, where speedily delivering the food product to the customer is of utmost importance. Thus, it remains desirable to provide a container that facilitates quick alignment of the cover and plate compartments, as well as easy attachment of the cover to the plate after the desired food products, whether they be entrees or side items, have been placed in the appropriate compartments on the plate.
Another problem with some compartmentalized containers is the difficulty of detaching the cover from the plate. The covers of such containers are often attached to the plate by a crimped or snap-over engagement around the entire periphery of the container. Attempts have been made to provide finger slots or pull-tabs to allow the placement of a finger between the cover and the plate. However, there remains a need for an improved pull-tab configuration that provides quick and easy detachment of the cover from the plate by the consumer after the container has been transported to the desired location for consumption.
In some compartmentalized containers, the mere "contact" engagement of the cover partitions with the corresponding plate partitions may still allow liquid food products such as gravy to escape from one food compartment into the adjacent food compartment. It therefore is desirable to configure the cover partitions and plate partitions to inhibit the passing of liquid therebetween. At the same time, it is desirable to provide the partitions with sufficient structure to inhibit flexing of the container during transport, thereby preventing spilling and ensuring a successful transport of segregated food products to the home of a consumer.
It is not uncommon for a purchaser to request extra gravy or other liquid products to enhance the flavors and taste of the food products in the container. The ability of the purchaser to carry both the plate and an extra container of gravy tends to be cumbersome, especially when more than two serving plates are required to transport the food products. Thus, it is desirable to provide a container that facilitates transport of extra containers external to the main containers.
Other desirable features of a compartmentalized container are to provide feet for facilitating stacking of assembled containers, and to configure the cover with a recess for receiving and holding an item externally of the cover.